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Over the series of three articles, Stepan Gordeev shares his experiences as an international student I am a student from Russia in my freshman year here. In the previous article, I described my experience with US exams preparation, applying and being admitted to Mason. This time, I am going to tell you about last summer—when I was already admitted but didn’t yet know what to do. The first thing I had to do was decide where to go—to one of the Russian colleges or to Mason? My whole life, I was prepared to go to a Russian university, with all its cons and pros. When I applied to Mason, I didn’t think the choice would be that hard. As it turned out, leaving everything and everybody behind is not so easy. I spent a lot of time thinking about this. In one of the corners—superior education, more developed economic state and a whole new experience. In the other corner— my own familiar culture, family and old friends. I asked many people about their opinion, and guess what? Exactly half of them tried to convince me to stay and not go to the land of imperial greedy capitalist-consumerists. Another half passionately […]

To kick off International Week, the Shenandoah Neighborhood organized the Amazing Race. On Monday from 6-9 p.m., 15 teams of two raced around campus to beat one another in logical clues and physical speed. The Amazing Race, Mason edition, is modeled after the reality TV series “The Amazing Race,” where teams of two race around the world and accomplish challenges and tasks in order to get to the next stage of the race. Participants of Mason’s version raced around campus to locations such as the RAC and Mason Pond, and ran as far as President’s Park for the finish line celebration. “Our neighborhood DHRL (Director of Housing and Residence Life) challenged us to step it up a notch, as far as all of our programs in our neighborhood this year. Especially this event, so we did,”said Resident Director Ashya Majied. One of the rhyming clues started with the line “from the field to the track, from the sweat running down my back,” which lead teams to the RAC. The Amazing Race clues are clues that build upon one another. Once this clue was solved, teams raced to the RAC. Once there, participants had to quickly score baskets before receiving their next […]

Environmental science major Skyler Kopko was one of many at a protest against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in College Park, on April 8. But instead of picket signs, Kopko and the other members of the Environmental Action Group (EAG) had soup. “It’s kind of like a sit in but we ate soup,” Kopko said. “People brought donated vegetables for us.” The EAG is an on-campus club that campaigns for environmental protection through action and education, encouraging students to take action for a plan for the future. The Eat-In protest was organized by Occupy Monsanto, an organization aimed at getting people to take action against Monsanto, an agriculture company who uses Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the growing of their crops. “[Occupy Monsanto] are working against GMOs and unsustainable farming,” Kopko said. The protest’s demand was to have required labeling on all GMO foods. “The protest was for more transparency on the GMO’s in our food,” Skyler said. “Currently it’s not labeled whether foods contain GMOs. Companies can voluntarily say, ‘Oh we don’t have GMOs’, but right now is not required for a company to disclose whether they have GMOs in their food. The Eat-In protest brought the attention […]

Wole Soyinka speaks on the role of Africa in the New World Order In Dewberry Hall, students sit around tables, watching rapt as a group of dancers sway to the beat of drums. The women swing their skirts in an arc, evocative of scythes slashing through crops. This is Yoruba dancing, a traditional West African dance performed by Professor Jim Lepore’s Afro-Cuban dance class to precede a Q&A session by Nobel Prize-winning writer Akinwande Oluwole “Wole” Soyinka. Soyinka visited Mason on April 12 as a part of the university’s annual International Week program, giving a pair of talks. The first, entitled “From Cleopatra to Mandela: The Role of Africa in the New World Order,” was a panel discussion on Soyinka’s career as well as the state of contemporary Africa. Soyinka talked about a wide variety of topics, from the legacy of late author Chinue Achebe to the place of Africa in the 21st century world and his hopes and fears for the future of Nigeria. Later in the evening, he read from his own work in an event called “Poems of Self- Retrieval, Cultural Security and Recollection”. Born on July 13, 1934 in Abeokuta, Nigeria, Soyinka is a poet, […]

Students Against Israeli Apartheid boycott Sabra hummus to create discussion As part of their pro-Palestine campaign, Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) are hosting a boycott against Sabra Hummus on campus. As senior Tareq Radi walks through North Plaza and the Johnson Center with Palestine’s flag in his hands, students often stop him and ask him about what he is carrying. “A lot of times when we’re outside just having the Palestinian flag,” Radi said. “Even coming up here [in the Johnson Center] people see me they’re like, ‘Hey, can I talk to you? I want to join.’” Radi is the vice president of SAIA an organization representing the pro-Palestinian movement to delegitimize Israel. SAIA acts in accordance to the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement which has a three point plan, including: Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194 “It takes a human rights-based approach so the first call is to end the occupation—so you know the occupation […]

Adding a minor to a bachelor’s degree is one way to fulfill elective credit requirements. Whether students want to add to their degree or learn more about a secondary interest, there are more than 100 minors at Mason to choose from, with more added every year. “There’s been a tremendous amount of growth in minors since they started them,” said Paul Bousel associate director, Academic Advising & Transfer Center. Although there are currently more than 100 minors offered at Mason, the minor program has not been around too long. 1990-1991 was the first catalog year to provide minor programs of study. “I was here before there were minors. There was a time when we didn’t have minors,” Bousel said. When students seek help from Mason’s Academic Advising and Transfer Center to decide on a major, minors are not always brought up in conversation. Paul Bousel, associate director of the Academic Advising and Transfer Center focuses more on the transition of students from undeclared majors to actual majors of study. “We don’t insist on anyone doing a minor. It’s an option. You don’t have to pick a minor,” Bousel said. The requirements to obtain a minor include taking 15-21 credits of […]

I have to admit, a few weeks ago, I was quite ignorant about the Israeli- Palestine conflict. I had a very basic understanding, from tidbits I’d picked up from the news, classes or pieced together from conversations, but by no means would I consider myself well-versed in the subject. That lack of knowledge has made the past week rather challenging as I’ve navigated the often conflicting, always heated sides of the situation. For the past week, the I have been working with the staff to read, research and consult outside sources. However noble our intentions to educate ourselves on the long lived conflict, I worry that it will never be enough. There is no correct way to please everyone in a situation with such deep emotional, cultural and historical lineage that I doubt that I could ever truly understand. Not everyone will appreciate or agree with the way we covered the issue, but I promise you that we have done our best. In the interest of fair coverage, we reached out to both Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) and the Israel Student Association (ISA) to comment on the campus boycott and the situation in general. In the editorials section, Hala Numan, a […]

Social media provides students a way to share their thoughts, feelings and opinions with the Mason community. The twitter handle and hashtag GMU problems has a pulse on the students and the problem they face on campus each day. Broadside is looking into whether each problem is one specific to Mason and whether any solutions are available. What’s the problem? Between navigating PatriotWeb, understanding complex major requirements and managing account holds, registering for classes can be a stressful experience. In addition, the mad dash to find the perfect harmony of class times and desired professors can quickly become a headache. The most effective way of avoiding registration woes is to think ahead and be prepared. Anderson notes that it is just a matter of taking some time. “If you’re waiting until nine o’clock on Tuesday to search through the schedule and figure out what class you’re going to take, what time of day you’re going to take the course, which instructor you want; if you’re trying to find those kinds of things at the moment your time ticket comes, then you’re going to have difficulties, “ said Dawn Anderson, Associate Registrar of Operations and Registration. “Preparation is key.” Check for […]

Characteristics, including number of women in the workplace, also changing As a major employer of residents of the Metropolitan Washington Area, the federal workplace is often seen as a defining characteristic of this area. This federal workplace, however, is changing. Joanna Biernacka- Lievestro, a graduate student research assistant at the Center for Regional Analysis, has found that the federal workplace is decreasing after 12 years of gains. “I think this particular topic is pretty relevant to the current economy in the region,” Biernacka-Lievestro said. “I thought it would be interesting to see how the federal workplace is changing, along with the characteristics of this federal workplace.” Lower government service (GS) grade-level jobs decreased, while higher level managerial positions increased. The federal workplace also faces an age problem. “What we have learned from the area is that one of the research findings is that the workforce is aging,” Biernacka-Lievestro said. “We have the issue of aging in the federal workplace, and what is going to happen when these people retire.” Biernacka-Lievestro has also found other characteristics changing within the federal workforce. Between 1998 to 2011, the total number of salaries paid to the federal workplace increased by 34.1 percent. According to the […]